


Kisses, Blowjobs, Secrets

by romaneedsatoma



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M, andreil is implied but not acted on, despite the title this is a sfw fic jhgkhkj, kevneil is implied but technically platonic, underage and rape/non con are referenced but not explicit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-02 05:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19192525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romaneedsatoma/pseuds/romaneedsatoma
Summary: Like most high schoolers, Kevin and Andrew traded many things: Kisses, blowjobs, and eventually, secrets. Andrew told himself again and again to not get close to the exy star but he wasn’t any good at denying Kevin anything. Not until he learned one too many details of Kevin’s past.





	Kisses, Blowjobs, Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> in the story, only kandrew actually happens. neil definitely joins the relationship post story though lmao. i have been writing this since october and its probably the most work i have ever put into a story? which is? really big i love kandrew so much
> 
> i dunno what else to say, just enjoy and leave comments i guess i dunno im so shocked that i actually finished this that i dont really have anything to say

“What are you doing?”

Andrew looked up, the knife he was slowly digging into the bottom of the desk stopping. 

He wasn’t unfamiliar with his high school’s detention room. It changed from time to time, but for the most part, it was D104. An unused room saved specially for a second lunchroom for the socially anxious as well as after school detention. It was a fairly plain room; there were the usual math posters explaining graphs, one odd wall sticker of a beach scene, and a large handmade poster explaining the detention room rules. Other than that, the room only had the usual student desks with one large teacher desk at the front, accompanied by the shittiest chairs the school had to offer. The room was quiet, with only two other students laying on their desks and sleeping. This was all familiar and consistent.

Or, it would be, if it wasn’t for Kevin fuckin’ Day.

The other teen sat next to him, staring directly at him with those bright green eyes and dark ruffled hair and God, okay, Andrew tried to ignore it but he was very gay and Kevin was very attractive, so he had to add the fact that he was ripped. He hardly fit in the desk, legs sprawling out of the front and his back hunched over the desk with his arms tucked against his chest. On his right cheek, he had a stark black tattoo of the number 2.

Kevin was… new. Kind of. He lived in town, everyone knew of him, but he was a bit of an enigma. The rich kid who went to the private school, Edgar Allan, and was an aspiring professional exy player. He had been well known since he was in the middle school section of Edgar Allan and had only grown in popularity as he grew up. But over the summer something happened and now he was going to Foxhole. 

And he had been bothering Andrew ever since.

“I’m not doing anything. Shut up.” Andrew huffed and looked back down at the desk, putting his knife in his pocket and running his fingers along the bottom to feel the grooves he cut into it. “Can’t you take a nap like everyone else, exy star?”

“You’re not taking a nap. And if the teacher is just going to leave the room, I don’t see why I have to sit still and be quiet. It’s the teacher’s fault for being irresponsible and leaving us to our own will.” His voice was annoyingly smooth and deep and Andrew forcibly gripped his desk, trying so very hard to ignore it, even as Kevin stood up and started monologuing. He focused on Kevin’s calves rather than what he was saying, grip on the desk loosening with a slow sigh. “This school is irresponsible in general. Locking students up in a room for an hour won’t teach them anything. Both of us are in here twice a week, so obviously, we need a punishment that’s more extreme. Being able to take a nap and do homework isn’t effective. They should make us do physical labor. Some community service. Something that actually works.”

“Keep pacing around and you’ll be in here for another hour, you know.”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Not really.” Andrew crossed his arms on his desk and laid his head on them, peeking up at Kevin with one eye. Kevin walked closer, sitting on the edge of the desk in front of Andrew’s, legs still managing to touch the ground. Andrew closed his other eye, trying to imagine being that tall. “I don’t know why you keep bothering me. I never listen.”

“You have so much potential! Just look at your build. You’d be an amazing exy player.”

Andrew groaned, sliding down further. There it was, what Kevin kept bothering him about. He didn’t think he had that much potential; blonde, short, stocky, overall average looking with a soft stomach from his rampant sweet tooth. But Kevin caught him after detention once, throwing rocks aggressively against a tree, and he wouldn’t leave him alone ever since.

To be fair, Kevin texted him about a lot of things besides recruiting him to exy; exy news, exy players he looked up to, exy players from rival schools, exy games he played recently and in the past and would maybe play one day. And, as every teenager did, asking for homework answers. But in person, it always came back to recruiting Andrew.

“Do you wanna leave and go wander outside?” Andrew asked, ignoring Kevin, and the other sighed.

“Not really. Lets go.”

Andrew lead the way, glancing down halls and covertly guiding Kevin out of the school. Kevin followed silently, hands clenched around the strap of his bag.

“How do you get into detention so much? You’re such a goody two shoes. You’re shaking right now.”

“I’m not shaking,” Kevin grumbled. “And apparently I have an argumentative nature. I don’t think telling teachers they’re wrong should get me punished.”

Andrew barked a short laugh at that, pausing to peer around the next corner. A teacher was down the hall. Coach Wymack. Probably wouldn’t even remember who Andrew was and hopefully wouldn’t know Kevin should be in detention.

“We’re almost out. This way.”

Kevin nodded, his face paling slightly as he saw the coach. Andrew didn’t say anything. Kevin was just a coward.

“Kevin?” The coach was looking at them, a glare settling in his brow, and Andrew sighed.

“Why didn’t you say you knew Coach Wymack?”

“Hi Dad,” Kevin mumbled, ignoring Andrew’s hissed question. Once again, Andrew laughed.

“This is your dad?”

“Shut up, Andrew,” Kevin said at the same time as his father- so Wymack did remember him- and Andrew grinned lazily.

“Kevin, I thought you had detention until 3.” Wymack focused on Kevin and the tall teen deflated slightly.

“I… got out early?”

“Liar.” Wymack’s expression loosened. “Get out of my sight, kid. As far as the both of us know, we didn’t see each other, alright?”

“Yes sir.” Kevin grabbed Andrew’s hand and pulled him away, walking with a quick pace, and Andrew had no choice but to follow. He felt annoyed at Kevin dragging him, but also his hand was warm, larger than Andrew’s, weirdly soft as if he used lotion- his face burned suddenly and he frowned down at their hands. “Which way is the door again?”

“On the right.”

Finally, they made it outside, and Andrew pulled his hand away. It was calm and quiet, no one in the parking lot and the soft sound of basketball practice in the distance. Kevin sighed, rubbing his face, and Andrew began walking, leading him ahead.

“Where are you taking me anyways?”

“The swings.”

“We have swings? This is a high school.” Kevin sounded confused and Andrew rolled his eyes.

“Yeah. They’re in the woods.”

“Now I feel like you’re trying to murder me.”

“Maybe I am.”

They lapsed into silence then, Andrew stuffing his hands in his pockets and Kevin staring at him intensely as they walked. Andrew wasn’t even sure what he was doing right now. Why was he showing the kid who annoyed the hell out of him around?

Probably because Kevin actually talked to him and he was a hormonal teenager who thrived off of the attention of attractive people.

They veered off of the parking lot sidewalk up onto the grass. Andrew trudged ahead to the tree line, Kevin following obediently despite the suspicion of murder. The sky went dark for a moment as they wandered through the trees, then lightened again, revealing a clearing. Sure enough, a set of three swings sat in the middle and Andrew dropped into the far left one, looking up at Kevin. He stood in front of him, hands shoved in his pocket, with a troubled look in his eyes.

“What?”

“What can I do to convince you to join the team?”

“Nothing.”

Kevin looked away thoughtfully then looked back. 

“What if I gave you my body?” Kevin offered. Andrew made a face, flushing despite himself, and Kevin waved his hands at himself. “I’ve seen you staring at me. I will do anything you want. I need you on my team.”

“You’ve seen me-?”

“You’re not as subtle as you think you are.”

Andrew was stung by the remark- he was plenty subtle- but his brain was still mulling over Kevin’s offer. On one hand, he hated giving Kevin any upper hand on him, and letting him use Andrew’s hormonal impulses over him counted towards that. But on the other hand… said hormonal impulses.

“I’m not interested in sex.”

“We could keep it more light. Kissing. Making out. I could blow y-”

“No,” Andrew said, gritting his teeth, and Kevin nodded.

“Making out and kissing then. I’ll even just cuddle you, though I’ll hate all of it. I need you on my team.” Kevin’s tone became almost desperate and Andrew sighed, eyes sliding away.

Doing anything involving Day was a bad idea. Andrew was good at staying detached. He was at school just to graduate, not to do any sports, not to make any friends, and certainly not to run off behind the bike shed to make out with a boy.

“Kiss me now. Trial run.” Not at all what he wanted to say, but it had already slipped out of Andrew’s mouth. Kevin nodded, kneeling, and Andrew stood quickly. “Not while I’m still on the fucking swing.”

Kevin snorted- snorted!- and Andrew growled. But then he stepped closer and the sound died off as Kevin cupped his cheeks and pulled him into a chaste kiss. His lips were soft, gentle, and he pulled away after just a moment. Andrew tugged him in for a more forceful kiss and Kevin’s hands moved to his hips.

“Don’t touch anything under my shoulders,” Andrew said, voice rough, and Kevin moved his hands to his shoulders. “Better. Don’t put your hands below there. Always ask before kissing me. I always ask as well. Got it?”

“You’ll join the team?”

“Got it?”

“If you join the team.”

Kevin’s face was still hovering in front of Andrew’s, his breath playing over Andrew’s lips, and Andrew nodded.

“Then yes, I got it. Can I kiss you again?”

“Yes.” Andrew kissed Kevin again, fingers tangling in his hair, and Kevin melted under his hands. He was an excellent kisser and Andrew shoved him away before he got too into it. “Go home, Kevin. Text me how to sign up for exy.” 

“Yes Andrew.” Kevin took a few steps back, grabbing his bag, and gave Andrew an asshole smirk. “You won’t regret this.”

\--

“Yes or no?” Andrew asked, staring at Kevin’s back. They were in detention again- when were they not?- and the room, besides them, was entirely empty. Kevin had been silent and doing homework for nearly thirty minutes now and Andrew had grown bored of watching the muscles in his back shift.

“Yes.” Kevin sat up, turning in his chair to face Andrew, and Andrew pulled him in by his chin. The kiss was light and sickeningly gentle. He could feel his throat tighten.

“I’m gonna sit in your lap.”

“Okay.” Kevin shoved back his chair and Andrew did as he said, straddling Kevin and kissing him deeply. This was more comfortable for Andrew; less intimate and more hormonal, letting him focus on their bodies rather than who they were.

Kevin wrapped his arms around Andrew’s neck and hummed in satisfaction, the sound buzzing against Andrew’s lips. He pushed forward, pressing his tongue against Kevin’s mouth, and his lips parted. Andrew’s tongue explored his mouth and Kevin hummed again, tilting his head to get closer. Kevin was easy like that. He didn’t fight for dominance, he was happy to just go along with whatever Andrew did.

Andrew rocked his hips down and Kevin flinched in surprise. It reminded Andrew oddly of how he used to respond to any touching. Andrew pulled back and Kevin’s eyes fluttered open.

“Yes or no?” Andrew asked. Kevin stared, confusion clear on his face. “You flinched. Yes or no?”

“Oh. Yes.” He seemed surprised at the question but his arms were still around Andrew’s neck and his eyes kept drifting down to his lips. His voice whined a bit as he continued. “Please.”

Andrew huffed in amusement and kissed Kevin again, grabbing him by the hair. He grinded against him and Kevin’s hips twitched, a high-pitched noise dragging out of his lips.

“Make that noise again,” Andrew murmured and Kevin moaned. It was a porn star moan, over the top and fake, and he rolled his eyes. “You try too hard.”

“Fuck off,” Kevin said. “Can I kiss you again?”

“Yes.”

Kevin bit Andrew’s lip, tugging it, and Andrew exhaled slowly. Their lips met, tongues tangling, and Kevin rocked up his hips. Andrew grinded down in response. They continued making out, friction growing between their hips, and Kevin moaned again, softer this time. Andrew could feel his heart thudding against his ribs suddenly.

“We should stop,” Andrew said, pulling away suddenly, and Kevin’s eyes blinked open. His gaze was soft, almost disappointed, and Andrew slid off his lap. His heart was still thudding, weighing down heavily, and he swallowed hard. “Detention is nearly over.”

“We should do that every detention,” Kevin said, voice thick with attraction. Andrew crossed his arms, looking away.

“The ones where we’re alone.” The bell rang as Andrew spoke and he picked up his bag. “Exy practice is tomorrow, correct?”

“Yes. I’ll see you there.” Kevin’s eyes light up and Andrew was glad to see his thought process change. “I’ll get you a stick. I want you as goalie.”

“Whatever. See you then.” Andrew waved Kevin off and stormed out the door. He could feel his heart still skipping in his chest. 

He was playing a dangerous game.

\--

“Get out of my way, junkie,” Andrew said. Neil skittered back from Kevin, pulling his hands to his chest, and Kevin rolled his eyes. Kevin’s hands let go of Neil’s hips, arms crossing across his chest instead, and he looked at Andrew with a bored expression.

They were in the locker room after practice. Neil and Kevin were the only ones not changed yet and Andrew hazarded a guess that they were waiting to be alone. Neil seemed alarmed at being interrupted, picking at his hands. His expression flashed between anger and panic and Andrew vaguely wondered if he had hit the kid before. That could explain the skittishness. Kevin seemed annoyed but not surprised.

“Do you mind?”

“We’re going now.”

“I was going to stay after school with Neil-”

“We’re going now.” Andrew’s voice was more aggressive and Kevin’s will visibly crumpled. Neil patted Kevin’s arm and scattered, leaving his bag behind. Andrew snorted, kicking it. Kevin picked it up, carrying it easily along with his own bag, and Andrew started leading the way out of the locker room. “How do you know Neil?”

“Childhood friends.”

“Do you pay him to be on your team too?”

“Neil loves exy just as much as I do, I don’t need to pay him to do anything.” Kevin’s voice became prideful and boasting. “We could go professional someday, together. Either of us could alone of course, but together, we’re a real team.”

“I don’t really care.”

“Fuck you.”

“You wish,” Andrew said and Kevin huffed. Andrew barked out a laugh with a lazy grin. Kevin was easy to bother. “We’re going on a double date.”

“What?”

“My twin brother is going on a date. I want to observe him. So we’re going on a double date.”

“Absolutely not.” Kevin scoffed. “I was supposed to be tutoring Neil in history.”

“You two can fuck any day.”

“We’re not-”

“We can only go on a double date today. So we’re going to.” Andrew jabbed Kevin in the arm and he hissed.

“You owe me. This isn’t part of our deal.”

“What if I blow you afterwards?” Andrew offered. Kevin sucked in his breath and nodded sharply. His cheeks were red and Andrew jabbed him again. “We’re going on a date. Clean thoughts. Do you mind sitting in the back?”

“I always get shotgun.” Kevin’s tone was whiny and Andrew rolled his eyes.

“I’ve only been driving you for a month.”

“And I always get shotgun.”

“Fine. Petulant child. Aaron and his girlfriend can hold hands and be disgusting in my backseat then because both of us will enjoy seeing that so much.”

Kevin was quiet for a long moment. “We could be disgusting in response.”

“Absolutely not. You’re sitting in the back with Katelyn.”

“Fine.” Kevin pouted, looking even more like a child, and Andrew let himself smile for just a moment. Kevin had an irritating personality. He was spoiled and whiny, pushy, easily annoyed. He was fake, oddly flirtatious at times (even if only to further his own goals), and liked to argue despite having a cowardly nature. But something about it all was strangely endearing. Andrew was certainly far too attached but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

\--

“You didn’t tell me it was a double date at a party,” Kevin said, eyes lighting up as he walked up the steps of the suburban home. The house was isolated at the end of a winding street, but the cars, pulsing lights and music filled up the dead space around it.

“I thought you would refuse to come.”

“I love parties.” Kevin grinned and led the way up the steps, stopping at the doorway to let the teen there glance the group over.

Andrew stared at Kevin, bemused, until he followed Kevin’s gaze to the refreshments table past the entrance. A table absolutely littered with alcohol. Kevin stared striding towards it as soon as they were let in and Andrew rolled his eyes, looking back at Aaron and Katelyn.

“No, go follow your date,” Aaron said too quietly for Katelyn to hear, placing his hand between Andrew’s shoulder blades and shoving him. Andrew stood still, unaffected. “You are not stalking me today. Go babysit the rich kid.”

“Andrew, they have vodka shots.” Kevin reappeared, holding two shots, and Andrew made a pained face as he took them both. Aaron clapped him on the shoulder and pulled Katelyn further into the house.

Many shots later and Kevin was curled up on the couch, nursing a wine glass and chattering Andrew’s ear off about exy stars. Andrew sipped his water, tracking Aaron rather than listening to Kevin, when suddenly he felt Kevin’s breath on his ear.

“I love being drunk,” Kevin said, not paying attention as Andrew jerked away. “It… it makes me forget, y’know?”

“Forget what, Day?” If Andrew knew bringing Kevin along would result in drunken talks about emotions, he would have left Kevin to his history tutoring.

“I dunno! I forgot.” Kevin laughed, sipping his wine. Andrew sighed and Kevin slumped on his shoulder. He held back the urge to push Kevin to the ground, eyeing shattered glass on the carpet. “It just… just makes me feel better. Like warmth in my chest. All the bad is gone. It’s just… warm.”

“You’re a lot friendlier when you’re drunk.” And a lot more annoying.

“I’m not as angry,” Kevin agreed easily, nuzzling into Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew continued staring at the glass, debating how bad it would hurt Kevin to be shoved into it. “You’re more soft when I’m drunk. Cuddly…”

Kevin let out a yelp as Andrew dumped him onto the ground, landing barely an inch from the shattered glass. Andrew took a swig of water and stood, searching around for Aaron again.

“I’m bringing you home.”

\--

Andrew dangled off the edge of his bed, listening while Kevin rambled on the other side of the phone. He looked out the window over his bed frame, watching the tree branches bouncing up and down in the wind, and focusing more on the passing clouds than the idle chit-chat Kevin was making.

“Okay, I can tell you don’t care. You want gossip instead of exy stats?”

“Please,” Andrew said, sitting upright as soon as he heard Kevin’s question.

“I saw your cousin running around with a high school graduate. That foreign kid, Erik?”

Andrew huffed, tracing his fingers on his comforter. He was silent, then realized Kevin wanted a response. “Erik Klose. Nicky has been obsessed with him for ages. They were spending time together?”

“Just briefly. Nicky looked like he’d cream himself.” Kevin snorted and Andrew could practically hear him painting his nails. Kevin cared a lot about his appearance but he had only recently started painting his nails. Something about having a lot of free time away from his uncle. Andrew didn’t know what that meant, really, and also didn’t really care. He just knew that Kevin started showing up to school with painstakingly perfect nails. Always bright, eye catching colors.

It was infuriating and strangely hot.

“Have you heard anything interesting lately?” Kevin asked after some silence and Andrew grunted, realizing he had started daydreaming about Kevin. He was annoyed that it wasn’t the first time more than anything.

“Something about your brother, actually.”

“Riko?”

“Yeah. He got in trouble. Red card. Punched some dude in the face during an exy scrimmage.”

“It’s not called a red card in exy,” Kevin pointed out and Andrew huffed. He ruffled his own hair, looking out the window again. When Kevin spoke, his voice sounded odd. “I know, you don’t care.”

They were both quiet for a few minutes before Kevin spoke again.

“Did you bring up Riko to bother me?” His voice was even odder now. Hitched and higher pitched. Andrew realized that he was about to cry.

“I thought you’d be interested. He’s… not the same without you.” Andrew wouldn’t know- wouldn’t care, really- but he just wanted Kevin to stop sniffling in his ear. Andrew’s words seemed to have the opposite effect, as there was a choked sound across the line.

“Tell me about exy terms Day,” Andrew said without thinking. He didn’t even know his own reasoning for it. There was another pause, as if Kevin was going to question him, but then he launched into a long explanation of exy terminology. Andrew felt like he should be annoyed, but instead, he let a small smile creep onto his face.

\--

“You owe me a blowjob,” Kevin said. Andrew looked at him with a bored expression.

“I know.”

“When are we doing that?”

Andrew glanced at his watch. They were wandering around after school; the only day they didn’t have practice or detention and they were still at school anyways. Andrew sighed, letting his hand drop to his side.

“We can do it now. Find a closet.”

“A closet?”

“I’m not giving you a blowjob on the swing set.”

Kevin scoffed but nodded, looking up and down the hallway. He pointed at the science supply closet and Andrew raised an eyebrow.

“People go there all the time, Day.”

“Not after school. I haven’t seen any teachers.” Kevin licked his lips. “The risk makes it… exciting.”

“Don’t tell me you’re an exhibionist.”

Kevin flushed bright red and started to give a sharp retort, but Andrew was already dragging him over to the closet. Conveniently unlocked. He shut the door behind them and glanced around, judging where would be out of sight of the door window.

The room was large to be labelled a closet, though the lab table in the middle and science supplies littering the room helped fill out the space. Andrew pointed at a bare spot next to the door.

“Stand there.”

“You’re going to blow me next to an anatomy dummy?”

“Stop being fucking picky or I won’t blow you anywhere.”

Kevin looked like he wanted to argue but obeyed Andrew anyways, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. Andrew grabbed him by the belt loops of his jeans, tugging, and Kevin leaned down to kiss him.

“Just stay still,” Andrew said against his lips and Kevin nodded. He nipped Kevin’s lower lip, satisfied by the shiver running through Kevin, then kissed down his neck. He could feel the taller teen swallow in anticipation and he bit down on his collarbone, causing Kevin to suck in his breath. He kissed the spot, hands drifting to the button on Kevin’s jeans and working on opening them. “Yes or no?”

“Yes.”

Andrew dropped to his knees.

\---

“Your room is… neat,” Andrew said in a polite tone. The room was less neat and more barely lived in, just a bed against a wall and a desk with a lamp across from it. The bedspread was a plain light blue, matching the thin curtains over the window. History textbooks stacked up on the desk and Kevin placed a laptop next to, helping to fill in the space a bit, but it still looked less homely than a motel room.

“My father wasn’t expecting me to… move in. He renovated his office for me.” Kevin arranged his laptop and textbooks meticulously. He flicked on the desk lamp, glanced around the room, then flicked it off.

“He couldn’t spare the guest room for his only son?”

“Neil sleeps in the only guest room.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow but Kevin didn’t seem it worthy of note, slipping out of his shoes and sitting on the bed. He patted the space beside him and Andrew rolled his eyes, following suit.

“Can I put my arm around you?” Kevin asked and Andrew nodded. A genuine smile warmed his face and Andrew looked away, feeling his own cheeks darken as Kevin pulled him closer. Kevin had become increasingly affectionate outside of their deal and he wasn’t sure how to approach it. He couldn’t find it in himself to mind but the coziness of it all bothered him. He wasn’t supposed to be close to Kevin and even if that was a failing battle at this point, he still had to be annoyed by it.

Kevin started talking about exy- he was always talking about exy- and Andrew half listened as he messed around on his phone. He sent Aaron an off color meme and blandly replied to Nicky’s long string of texts about Erik. Then, without prompting, Kevin was crying and Andrew jerked away from his touch like a hot iron.

“Kevin?”

“Sorry, I’m sorry, this happens sometimes,” Kevin forced out. He covered his face, curling into himself, and Andrew watched with a stony face. “I’m sorry.”

“Just breath.” Andrew reached out and put a hand on Kevin’s back, holding it firmly in place. He watched Kevin cry for another moment. “Try talking about anything. To keep breathing.”

“What?” Kevin sniffled.

“Do it.”

Kevin blinked then started talking about his recent history class which bled into a long dissertation on Mussolini’s psyche before World War 2. Andrew listened intently this time, his hand still firmly planted on Kevin’s back. He could feel Kevin’s ragged breaths and cries fading and steadying as he spoke. Eventually, all he could feel was the rumble of Kevin’s voice as he continued recounting the spread of fascism in Italy, voice close to normal again.

Andrew kept his hand on his back even as he told Kevin to shut up and asked for a kiss.

\--

Andrew was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Weekends were boring. He made a face as he realized he almost wanted to go to school. No, it wasn’t school. He wanted to see Kevin. He rolled onto his stomach, burying his face in his pillow to hide from the thoughts, when he heard Nicky’s voice from downstairs.

“Aaron, please do not be weird about me having a guy over.”

“I really don’t think Auntie would want him here. Shame if someone told her, huh?”

“Aaron!”

He shot up at the sound of a familiar voice saying something. Muffled, because he wasn’t nearly as loud as Nicky and Aaron arguing, but undeniably it was Kevin. He pulled on sweatpants and walked down the stairs, doing his best to not thunder down them, and stared at the teens gathered in the foyer.

Aaron and Andrew lived with their older cousin Nicky (a senior as opposed to them being juniors) and his parents. It wasn’t unusual for Nicky to bring home boys whenever his parents were out and Aaron often kicked up a fuss about it just to annoy Nicky. But most of the time, it wasn’t anyone Andrew knew or cared about.

Not that he cared about Kevin. Just that he knew him.

Kevin’s eyes met Andrew’s and his shoulders relaxed, a smile coming to his face. Though argumentative, Kevin’s posture always stiffened whenever people besides him were yelling, wincing away or doing his best to duck out. Andrew wasn’t sure about how he felt about Kevin being soothed by his presence, but he pushed away the observation and walked up to Aaron and Nicky.

“Can you two stop fucking yelling?” Andrew put his hands on his hips, looking between his brother and his cousin, and Kevin drifted behind him. He gave Kevin a pointed look and Kevin flinched. Andrew’s gaze softened before he could stop himself and turned his head back to his family. Nicky, watching the two, started grinning widely, and Aaron made a face.

“He’s brought home your boyfriend, Andrew, don’t you care?”

“Kevin isn’t my boyfriend and he’s fucking half the school, so no, I really don’t.”

“I’m not-”

“Yeah Andrew, he isn’t, only half the exy team,” Nicky snickered and Kevin huffed but didn’t fight it.

“Gross. I’m leaving.” Aaron rolled his eyes and stomped up the stairs. Nicky rubbed the back of his neck. Andrew took a big step away from Kevin.

“You can leave if you want, Kev,” Nicky started but Kevin waved his hand.

“It’s whatever. Where were we?” He adopted a stunning smile and Nicky blushed, grin stretching across his lips. Seeing Kevin act charming made Andrew’s skin crawl, so he mimicked his twin and left.

The sounds from Nicky’s room didn’t bother Andrew- thank God he didn’t care that much yet- but remembering that fake smile did. Why did Kevin need to seduce Nicky anyways? He was already on the team and just yesterday Kevin seemed fine about Nicky running around with Erik Klose. He buried his face in his pillow again.

\--

“I just think we could’ve done better. Our defense is good, you’re great, but our strikers besides Neil and I are suffering.”

“Kevin, shut up. We won the game by three points.” Andrew dug his elbow into Kevin’s side, earning a slap on the arm in return. “Wait until at least the day after to complain.”

“You have no right to tell me-”

“Kevin!” A loud voice jeered from behind Andrew and Kevin, and Andrew could see Kevin stiffen up. His nose flared in panic and he rubbed his face, trying to relax as he turned around. Andrew felt himself puff up, subconsciously trying to seem larger.

A college student, towering with a lopsided grin and broad shoulders, stood behind them. His eyes raked over Kevin shamelessly, and even though Andrew had never been bothered by how many others Kevin messed around with, an angry pit dug into his gut. The man wore a graduation shirt from several years ago. Edgar Allan. Kevin’s old school.

“I said, Kevin!” He walked closer, raising his eyebrows, and Kevin held out a hand to shake.

“Hey Williams,” Kevin said, voice strained. “How’s college handling you?”

They lapsed into a quick catch up which Andrew ignored. Instead, he stared at Kevin, observing his body language. Kevin’s head was bowed, his eyes darting across the floor. His usual confident posture was now angled to the floor, slumped just a bit but noticeable still to Andrew. He had spent far too much time watching Kevin to not see the difference. His arms were crossed, not unusual, but his fingernails dug into his skin. Deep red today. They matched Williams’ shirt.

“You should come by my college some time,” Williams said, voice dropping to a lower tone, and Kevin’s face tinged that same red. Andrew’s attention snapped back to the conversation. “The campus is pretty and my dorm is nice. I miss having you around.”

“Of course.” Kevin’s head tilted further, staring directly at his feet now, and Andrew cleared his throat. Kevin and Williams both looked over at him.

“I think Kev and I should be going now. I need to drive him home.” Andrew grabbed Kevin’s arm and tugged. Kevin followed without question and Williams rolled his eyes and waved goodbye.

“You’re always pulled around, huh Kevin?”

Andrew dragged him off without letting Kevin reply.

“Who was that?” Andrew hissed.

“Jealous?” Kevin said, trying to be snappy even though he sounded weak and out of it.

“No, I’m fucking pissed. Who was that?”

“Williams. Carter Williams. He was a senior when I was in eighth grade. He… taught me a lot.” Kevin’s voice was soft, almost unsure. Childlike. Andrew could feel his shoulders raising. “Where are you taking me?”

“Tell your dad I’m driving you home.”

“Okay.”

There was none of Kevin’s usual bitching and arguments. Just soft agreements and unquestioned following. Andrew wanted to scream, wanted Kevin to scream at him, but instead they both fell silent, going to his car.

They were driving for a minute before Andrew spoke again.

“What did he teach you?”

“How to serve my team,” Kevin said, eyes out the window. What he meant was clear enough in Andrew’s eyes, thinking of how Kevin shied away from Williams, his willingness to give his body for exy recruits. ‘I could blow you.’ Andrew felt sick.

“What did he teach you?” Andrew asked anyways.

Kevin hesitated, long enough to test Andrew’s patience. “Sex, I suppose.”

“How old were you?”

“Old enou-”

“How old were you?”

Kevin swallowed audibly. “I was 13. He was 18.”

Andrew pulled over, slamming on the breaks. The force of the stop was enough to jostle them both and Kevin grabbed the handle of the door to steady himself. “I’m going to kill him.”

“No, you’re not. He was teaching me how to be a good exy leader, a team player-”

“He was teaching you how to let him prey on children.”

“I wasn’t a child!”

“You were 13!” Andrew grabbed Kevin’s shirt collar, tugging hard. Kevin looked terrified. “You were a fucking middle schooler. A child. He was a legal adult. That’s pedophilia.”

Kevin fell silent, tears brimming in his eyes, barely visible in the dark car. He kissed Andrew and Andrew shoved him away.

“What the fuck did I say about asking?”

“Yes or-”

“No. I’m not doing this anymore.”

“You’re leaving the team?” Kevin’s voice pitched up in panic and Andrew waved him off.

“No. I’m on your team. We had a deal. But we’re not doing this anymore. I’m not helping you with your goddamn sexual trauma. I never would have said yes if I knew.”

“It’s not trauma. Uncle Moriyama never-”

“Why do you live with your dad now, rather than your uncle? Why did you leave Edgar Allan?”

Kevin fell silent again, frozen under Andrew’s intense gaze. Finally, he responded, “abuse accusations. My father sued him for full custody.”

“Then he has no say on if it was trauma or not, now does he?”

“Why do you not like people touching you under your shoulders? Why did you reject me for sex?” Kevin asked, ignoring Andrew’s rhetorical, and Andrew tensed. “Tell me. If you know about Williams, then-”

“I was raped by my foster brother. Now shut the fuck up.”

“Is that why you’re so angry about this?”

“What about shut up do you not understand?”

“It wasn’t-”

“Kevin. Shut the fuck up. I’d be angry about this even if I was a goddamn virgin. If you haven’t noticed, I have a shred of fucking emotion for you, and so, I’m going to kill Williams.” Andrew kicked the car back into drive, pulling into the road, and Kevin blissfully fell silent, eyes locked on the side of Andrew’s face. His attitude was back, something Andrew hated himself for being grateful about, but he seemed at a lost for words.

“You care about me?”

“That’s not what I said. Have you texted your father?”

Kevin stared for another moment then sighed, pulling out his phone. After a moment, his phone buzzed with a call, and he answered with a pained face.

“Hi Dad. No, I’m not- I’m with Andrew. Not much better. Yeah.” Kevin fell silent and Andrew could hear the coach’s voice faintly. “You don’t believe me? Andrew, say something.”

“Fuck off.”

“See, I’m with Andrew. Not Riko. I’m not lying to you.” Kevin was quiet again as his father spoke. When he continued, his voice was soft, as if he didn’t want Andrew to hear. “We uh, ran into someone. I wanted to leave so Andrew said he’d take me home. He’s a good friend.”

Andrew almost wished he couldn’t hear it. Something about those words made him feel both warm and cold at the same time.

—

Andrew and Kevin didn’t talk much after that night. Andrew stayed on the team and they’d text about classmates and gossip, but detention was quiet and Kevin only barked out orders at him during exy practice. Andrew found it troubling and hated himself for it. He wasn’t meant to care, much less miss Kevin. But his heart ached whenever he saw Kevin look away or pick up his pace to avoid him.

So he did what he did best; acted out.

“Nicky,” Andrew called and his older cousin stopped and turned back to him. He was ahead of Andrew in the school hallway and he smiled widely when he saw Andrew.

“Hey! Need something?” It was almost touching, how eager and happy Nicky was to be approached by Andrew. 

Andrew grabbed Nicky’s collar and tugged him down. Nicky yelped dramatically and Andrew growled at him.

“Don’t touch Kevin. He’s gone through some shit and he doesn’t need more of it.”

Nicky blinked then unhooked Andrew’s hand from his collar, nodding. “Sure thing. I trust you with stuff like that.”

“Good.” Andrew crossed his arms. “Tell everyone else you see messing around with him that I’ll kill them if they get near him.”

“You want me to tell them you’ll kill them? Andrew, I’ll get my ass kicked.”

“I’ll tell plenty of them myself.” Andrew could feel eyes on him, making his skin prick, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He glared into Nicky’s eyes as the other’s expression softened with concern.

“What happened?”

“Kevin and I just had a chat.” Andrew continued to stare Nicky down until he nodded.

“I’m glad you have someone you-”

“Conversation over.” He shoved past Nicky, trying to ignore the rest of his cousin’s words, even as he shouted them down the hallway in front of what felt like the entire school.

“I’m glad you have someone you care about!”

He walked faster. It was last period and there was someone he needed to talk to in his last class.

Andrew didn’t talk to Neil in economics much. Actually, neither of them talked to anyone ever in economics, and Neil sat on his own in the corner closest to the door while Andrew sat on his own in the corner furthest away from it. So when he slammed himself down into the open seat next to Neil, he wasn’t shocked when Neil nearly leapt from his seat.

“Neil.”

“You’re using my first name now? What happened to junkie?” Neil’s voice was sharper than Andrew expected- the kid was jumpy, just a bit taller than Andrew and much skinnier, and only really seemed confident enough to talk to Kevin. He had picked fights during exy games, but other than that, Andrew didn’t think he said much. He was annoyed at the miscalculation, curious too, but now wasn’t the time for it.

“Stop having sex with Kevin before I make you stop.”

Neil blinked, slow, and warm pink raised in his cheeks.

“You think I’m fucking Kevin?” He hiccupped, between a laugh and a sob, and Andrew stared. “We’re friends. We’ve never… We’ve made out a few times but…”

Neil was struggling to even say that much without bursting into laughter. Maybe his calculation was even further off than expected. Andrew rolled his eyes. He was stuck in the front of the room for nothing then.

“Wait, why? Did something happen to Kevin?” Neil’s expression shifted into stormy concern and Andrew’s skin pricked at his sharp gaze. He really didn’t have the time to be checking Neil out, even if the look changed his entire face from soft and startled to a dark angled one and it made Andrew want to irritate Neil just to see that expression a little longer.

“I thought you would know. You’re his childhood friend.” Andrew rested his elbow on the desk and cupped his cheek, leaning on his hand to watch Neil lazily. “Does Williams ring any bells?”

“Yeah. He was on Kevin’s old exy team. Kevin talked about him a lot. I didn’t like him.” Neil’s posture was stiff compared to his, eyes flicking between Andrew and the back of the room. Andrew’s shoulders drooped further, relaxing even more, and he could see Neil’s face twitch in irritation and confusion. It was amusing, even if he really needed to focus on the conversation and not the minute changes in Neil’s expression. 

“I met him last week. I don’t like him either.”

“Andrew, if you want to talk about this, we need to leave the class.” Neil sounded pained at the idea but he hefted up his bag anyways. “So follow me now if this really matters beyond you being jealous or something stupid like that.”

Andrew stood, grabbing his own bag, and Neil sighed as he turned and left the room. The two walked down the quiet hallway in silence, Neil pausing outside the door to the courtyard. Andrew tried the handle despite already knowing it wouldn’t budge, not missing the silent huff of amusement from Neil. 

“It’s locked,” Andrew said and Neil pulled a bent hairpin from his back pocket. He watched as Neil picked the lock, eyebrows raising the entire time, and Neil pulled him in once the door was open. The door swung shut with a click behind them and Andrew looked around the courtyard. Most of the windows of the classrooms facing it has their curtains drawn and Neil guided him to a spot tucked carefully in the corner. The courtyard was silent, the crops planted along the windows sitting still and the gazebo in the center of the yard rotting in isolation. Despite the stormy clouds overhead swirling along, no wind seemed to penetrate this oasis. 

“No one can see you from here,” Neil said, sitting and looking through his bag. Andrew followed suit, letting his bag pillow his back against the wall. “Mind if I smoke?”

“Not particularly but Kevin might kill you.”

Neil snorted and flicked at a worn down lighter, trying to get it to flicker to life. As Andrew watched, he started explaining the night with Kevin and Williams. Neil’s expression tightened and he took a deep inhale of his cigarette. Andrew watched his face in interest. 

“I don’t know where Williams lives, sorry. I can’t help you go beat the shit out of him.”

“I was just going to make everyone at school stop encouraging his poor coping mechanism, but I do like that idea.” Something about Neil was fascinating and Andrew almost had to force himself to focus on the conversation rather than the scrawny teen. “For now, I think I’ll stick to threatening the exy team.”

“Is that why you were arguing with your cousin earlier?” Neil tilted back his head and blew out smoke. It rose and blended in with the gray sky overhead perfectly. “I figured he had stolen your food or something.”

“We weren’t arguing.”

“You were just grabbing him by the collar and hauling him down for a chat, right.”

“You’ve got a mouth on you, don’t you?” Andrew rolled his eyes and leaned over, plucking the cigarette from Neil’s hand and bringing it to his own lips. He inhaled, feeling the smoke slowly burn into his lungs, then released. It had been a while since he had smoked but the pain was still bitterly familiar. He glanced over at Neil, raising an eyebrow at the pink tingeing his cheeks.

“I can be a bit stupid and feisty,” Neil agreed, eyes trained on where the cigarette had touched Andrew’s lips. Andrew wondered if this was what he looked like to Kevin and the corners of his mouth twitched in amusement. He pushed the cigarette back into Neil’s mouth, letting his fingers linger just a moment, and stood. This moment has been enlightening but he had work to get back to.

“It’s a good look on you. Do me a favor, try and make Kevin stop selling his body for his sport. I’m going to threaten more jocks.”

“You’re a jock,” Neil responded after a moment, and Andrew let the door swing closed behind him.

\---

“Andrew.”

“Kevin.” Andrew reclined against the wall, arms crossed and expression neutral. The locker room was busy, everyone winding down post practice, but the rest of the team avoided Andrew as well as Kevin by proxy. Kevin stepped closer and lowered his voice despite everyone going out of their way to stay out of the conversation. 

“Stop it. I don’t know why you’re threatening the school on my behalf, but stop it.”

“Technically I’m not threatening the school. Just the exy team. Why? Are there people outside of the team that I should speak to as well?” He tilted his head and Kevin sighed, hands clenching tightly on the straps of his backpack. His hair was wet and his clothes clung to his body, as if he didn’t take the time after his shower to properly dry off. Andrew didn’t let his eyes linger. 

“I want you to stop.” Kevin started walking out of the locker room and Andrew peeled off the wall to follow him. “Getting Neil to come after me is a low blow.”

“I just told him what you told me after our game.”

“That wasn’t your story to share, jackass. I shouldn’t have told you. I don’t want Neil knowing about that,” Kevin spat, gaze furrowed on the ground. Andrew followed him as he continued storming along, rolling his eyes.

“If you’re not going to take care of yourself, then I’ll do it for you. You clearly do not know what’s right for yourself.”

“I’m nearly 18 years old, what right do you have to say what’s good for me?” Kevin shoved open the school doors, not holding them open for Andrew as he walked out. Andrew slammed against one door as it closed on him, face unmoving even as his shoulder began to sting.

“We’re the same damn age, I have just as much knowledge as you do-”

“You don’t know anything about me, Andrew! Stop acting like you know me better than I know myself.” Kevin threw his hands up in exasperation, taking a tight turn off of the sidewalk and onto the grass.

“I think I know you pretty well actually,” Andrew said. Kevin slowed just the smallest amount. “You’re obsessed with exy. You were raised by your adoptive uncle rather than your father until this summer. You have one brother, adopted, just a bit younger than you. Both of you are well known for your skills in exy. You like history and gossip, but prefer to talk about history in person and about gossip over the phone. You were childhood friends with Neil and you’re still close today. You hate his smoking habit but like kissing him regardless. He’s just about the only person I can think of that you kiss without ulterior motives. And isn’t that interesting. With most people you go around with, you fuck them to make them do things for you because you were taught that when you were a kid, but with him-”

“Neil isn’t interest in sex, with me or anyone else,” Kevin gritted out. He had fully slowed to a walk at this point and Andrew belatedly realized they were nearing the swings. It was frustrating. He was supposed to be an observant person but as soon as Kevin was involved, he seemed to lose all focus except for him.

“Oh, so you would fuck him if he was?”

“No. Not unless he asked.”

“How sweet of you.” Andrew rolled his eyes and let his bag drop to the soft ground. Dusk was threatening to settle over the clearing, the sky tinged orange on the horizon and their shadows stretching far across the grass. Andrew sat down on one of the swings, rocking himself forward and back and watching Kevin. Kevin crossed his arms, bag still on and posture stiff. “Should I continue proving that I know you, Kevin?”

“No.”

“You hate social situations but you like going to parties because you get to drink. You can’t drink with your dad, not like how your uncle would let you drink. You have this fake smile you like to use to get your way with people, including my cousin. You think you look like a real charmer and so does everyone else, but you just look like an asshole. You started painting your nails a few months ago and you haven’t left them unpainted since you started. Usually they’re green or orange, or both if you want to be especially garish, but right now, they’re just black.”

“Andrew, stop it.”

“Your hair looks disheveled but I know you care far too much about how it looks. Your eyes are green but when you look closely they’re nearly hazel, there's a darker green around your pupil. You have faint freckles that are only visible if you’ve been outside in the sun for a few hours. You put chapstick on whenever your lips feel even the littlest bit dry-”

“I’m sorry you’re too in love with me to let me deal with things myself-”

“I am not-” Andrew interrupted himself this time, expression twisting as he fell silent, and Kevin looked intently at him. Kevin looked both smug and flustered and Andrew tightened his grip on the chains of the swing.

He wasn’t in love with Kevin fucking Day. Kevin was attractive, yes, but he was also irritating, argumentative, stubborn, obsessive and droning, and plenty of things that Andrew detested in the human population. And yet here Andrew was, talking about the freckles on Kevin’s cheeks and forcing him to stop fucking half the exy team.

“I am not in love with you, Day. Don’t be so egotistical.”

“Then why do you care?”

“I-” Andrew again couldn’t speak. He shouldn’t care. He wasn’t sure why he did. He wrapped the chain around his hand and Kevin let his bag drop to the ground. He sat down on the next swing, hands folded in his lap and gaze fixed on the side of Andrew’s face.

“Neil isn’t the only person I kiss without ulterior motives. I didn’t kiss you in the car with ulterior motives.” Kevin’s voice was soft without warning and Andrew could feel his heart beating erratically in his chest.

“You wanted me to ignore your childhood trauma.”

“I wanted to kiss you.”

“No, Day, you didn’t. You wanted me to shut up and let you further traumatize yourself.” Andrew fixed a glare onto Kevin. “Don’t convince yourself that you’re in love with me just because I happen to care for you.”

“I wanted to kiss you at the party. When you dragged me on that double date with Aaron and Katelyn.”

“You didn’t.”

“I wanted to. And whenever you get annoyed and you look ready to hit me, I want to kiss you.”

“We’re not doing this.” Andrew stood, barely able to hear over his heartbeat. “You’re not in love with me and I’m not in love with you.”

“But I’ve missed you.”

“If you really missed me, you would have talked to me more after the car ride. But you didn’t. You started ignoring me because you’re a coward who can’t face his own issues head on.”

Kevin was quiet and Andrew ignored the wrench in his gut at his heartbroken expression. He picked up his bag and waited a moment for Kevin to say something, and when he didn’t, he left the taller teen behind.

He wasn’t in love with Kevin Day. Kevin was a coward who was in other people’s beds more than his own. He cared too much about how other people saw him. He was an overachiever, addicted to exy, had little free time for Andrew-

Who cared about free time for Andrew? Andrew didn’t.

He had done all he could for Kevin. If he wanted to mess up Andrew’s hard work now, that was his own business, but Andrew was washing his hands clean of Kevin Day.

The thought shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. So he smothered the feeling.

…

Andrew took a slow drag on the cigarette before handing it back to Neil, letting the smoke trickle out of his mouth and obscure his view of the other teen. Neil hadn’t spoken yet since asking him to skip class but he had the feeling it had something to do with the lingering looks Kevin had been giving him for the last week.

“Kevin wants to talk to you after practice.”

Bingo.

“We can hang out instead,” Andrew offered. “If you have more cigarettes to give me.”

“Andrew Minyard, offering to hang out?” Neil snorted and inhaled on the cigarette. He blew the smoke out and it faded into nothing as it hit the air. “You really must be desperate to avoid him.”

“He can speak to me himself rather than sending a dog after me.”

“You won’t let him.” Neil’s piercing blue eyes met his. Andrew stared back. “Do you really think that Kevin will just give up? He’s clingy and dependent. He’s not going to let you just ditch him.”

“He has plenty of other people to bother than me.”

“Does he?”

“He’s always surrounded by people. He’s not an unpopular guy, surprisingly.”

Neil laughed, eyes still latched on Andrew’s face. “I can’t believe Kevin was freaking out so much. You don’t know him at all.”

Andrew grabbed Neil’s collar and jerked him closer. Neil’s breath caught with a strangled noise and Andrew growled out a reply.

“Don’t fucking say that.”

“It’s true though. If you think he’s just going to move on, you don’t know him at all. All he’s being doing for the past week is beg me to go talk to you. He’s started hanging out with Aaron to get him to talk to you too.”

“Aaron didn’t-”

“Aaron hates it and refuses to tell you. Which I know because I talk to Kevin. You would know too, if you talked to him.” Neil grinned and Andrew let go of his collar in favor of slamming the heel of his palm into his nose. Neil went down with a grunt and Andrew scoffed, kneeling to grab the cigarette from where it fell on the ground. Neil groaned. “That was unnecessary.”

“Shut up.” Andrew shook the cigarette and relight it. He stood up, taking a long drag on the cigarette while staring at Neil. Neil sat up, rubbing his nose and looking at the smear of blood.

“Did you break my fucking nose?” Neil stood unsteadily and grabbed his bag, scoffing. “Whatever. Just keep it in mind, alright? Fuck. I’m never doing Kevin a favor again.”

Andrew watched Neil leave the courtyard, door slamming shut behind him. He rubbed the butt of the cigarette against the wall and flicked it to the ground, letting out a slow sigh.

He wanted to talk to Kevin. No, he wanted Kevin to talk to him. But that was unlikely to happen.

Kevin was insufferable anyways. Andrew shouldn’t want to talk to him nearly as bad as he did. He dug the front of his shoe into the dead cigarette, watching it rip apart into ashes. He was silent for a moment then went inside with a sigh.

\---

“Andrew.”

“Aaron.”

His twin brother stood in the doorway of his room, arms crossed and frowning at him. Andrew looked up impassively, laying across his floor with a nail polish bottle in his hand.

“Are you going to tell me to talk to Kevin?” Andrew asked, tilting the nail polish wand so that the polish wouldn’t drip onto the carpet.

“Yes.” 

“Then leave.”

Aaron left without much ceremony and Andrew looked back down at his nails. Green polish glittered in the soft light of his room and he tilted his hand back and forth slowly before going back to painting them. 

He could hear Aaron walking downstairs, immediately complaining to someone. He heard his own name a few times and glossed over the conversation in his head. He didn’t want to hear Nicky and Aaron talking about him. He was vaguely aware of steps coming back up the stairs as his fingers slipped, smearing green polish across his thumb.

“You’re really bad at that.”

Even if he wanted Kevin to talk to him, Andrew hated unexpected turns. He lifted his eyes to look at Kevin, standing in all of his too tall glory. He had the same pose and expression that Aaron had moments prior, though Kevin frowned at a space slightly to Andrew’s left rather than looking him directly in the eye. Andrew drifted his gaze over him, noting sourly that Kevin was wearing nearly the same shade of green as him on his nails. The light of the hallway burned brighter than the one in Andrew’s room, throwing Kevin into a shadowed relief, and they were both silent for a moment.

“Can I paint your nails for you?” Kevin asked and Andrew sighed.

“Will I have to sit up?”

“Yes.”

Andrew grunted and pulled himself up. Kevin closed the door behind him and crossed his legs, sitting across the nail polish bottles from Andrew and looking at him. Andrew stared back, noting the uncertainty clear on Kevin’s face. He had gotten good at reading Kevin’s expressions; he was unsure about this situation. He wanted to run away but was too afraid to move. Andrew allowed himself to hope that Kevin didn’t want to move.

“May I?” Kevin finally spoke, breaking Andrew’s gaze and holding out his hands. Andrew placed his hand in one of Kevin’s, letting him to take the polish wand in the other, and watched as Kevin set to meticulously painting Andrew’s nails. “Neil spoke to me more. About Williams. He thinks I need to tell my father.”

“Am I your therapist now, Day?”

“No. I just want you to know that-” Kevin cut himself off and was silent. He scraped his nail along the side of Andrew’s, cleaning up some polish that landed on the skin there, and Andrew shuddered. The movement felt far too intimate for one that could easily happen between strangers at a nail polish salon. It was even more intimate for two teenage boys who were supposed to be angry with one another.

“What should I know?”

“That you might be right.” Kevin’s voice was quiet, the shaky tone that he usually had before crying. Andrew lifted his gaze from their hands to Kevin’s face. He was still watching their hands intently, still painting, but his eyes occasionally darted up to Andrew’s. “I don’t know. I knew it was something I shouldn’t talk about but I didn’t think it was bad. I thought it was just a secret way to win.”

Andrew was silent. He remembered the way Kevin broke down after hearing about Riko, how talking about exy terms helped to calm down. He thought about sitting in Kevin’s room with him, watching him cry and letting him babble about fascism in Italy until his tears ceased. About the painfully fond kiss he gave Kevin afterwards, the salty taste of tears still on his face and the weak smile his lips twisted into. Andrew was silent, just nodding to Kevin to continue when he looked up once again.

“Maybe I knew it was wrong but ignored it because I wanted to win. Williams was always smart and good at exy and seemed cool. I didn’t like being around him after the first time but I liked his attention before then. I wanted to keep liking his attention.” Kevin lifted Andrew’s hand, blowing on the nails. Andrew could feel warmth flooding his cheeks at the gentle sensation. Kevin carefully placed the hand down on Andrew’s knee and took his other hand, starting to paint that one. “I liked it later. With other people. Kind of.”

“If you don’t like sex, you don’t have to lie about it to me,” Andrew said, tone neutral. Kevin held his gaze for a moment longer this time.

“I don’t. Usually. I’ve liked it rarely but I hardly ever do.” Kevin’s words came slower, eyes drifting back down to his task of painting Andrew’s nails. “I want to like it.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know.” 

Kevin was silent now, finishing Andrew’s other hand and capping the nail polish. He poked through the other bottles Andrew had on the floor, picking up a black one and humming in thought.

“Are you going to give me a design, Kevin?” Andrew asked, a small smile flicking across his lips despite himself. Kevin seemed to catch it, cheeks flushed red and a grin filling his own.

“I want to. The sparkly nails are kind of nice on their own though. And I’m no good at designs.” Kevin put down the black nail polish and started shaking up the top coat bottle. “Maybe I can give you a design another time.”

His hidden question was obvious to Andrew and he rolled his eyes.

“If you have a question, ask it.”

“Can we hang out again?” Kevin managed to hold Andrew’s gaze this time and Andrew felt almost proud of him. The effort of not wincing and looking away was visible. “I miss you.”

“Yes we can.” Andrew mused aloud, tilting his head, “Not the question I thought you’d ask. That might be better for us both though.”

“What else would I ask?” Kevin seemed genuinely confused but somewhat hopeful and Andrew let out a soft laugh.

“I am not in love with you, Kevin Day, and you are not in love with me,” Andrew said. Kevin blinked, expression flattening. “I would not say no to a date however.”

The range of expressions on Kevin’s face in response to that was more amusing than it should have been.

“You want to go on a date?” He finally said and Andrew snorted.

“I said I wouldn’t mind one, don’t get a big head about it now.” Andrew raised his hand to cup Kevin’s cheek, thumb resting on the corner of his mouth. “I do want a kiss.”

“Yes,” Kevin breathed and Andrew rose to meet him. Their kiss was sweeter than most they had shared, light but somehow more intimate than any of the heavy make outs they had had before. Andrew brushed his hand up into Kevin’s hair and huffed when Kevin pulled away. 

He leaned back as well, looking at Kevin with a mix of annoyance and confusion.

“I just painted your nails! Don’t ruin them!” Kevin was genuinely irritated and Andrew continued staring at him.

“Kevin. You can repaint them any time. I’m trying to kiss you right now.” Kevin seemed ready to continue arguing but Andrew kissed him again before he could say anything. Andrew held his face with both hands, away from Kevin’s hair, and Kevin sighed as he wrapped his arms around Andrew’s shoulders.

This kiss was less sweet, less perfect, but infinitely more them. Irritation radiated off of Kevin but he still bitterly stuck with the kiss, pulling Andrew closer to him, and Andrew fought down a smirk. Instead he tilted his head, allowing himself to be closer to Kevin as their mouths melded together, and Kevin relaxed under his touch, irritation seeping away. He rubbed his thumb against Kevin’s left cheek and they both pulled apart at the same time, leaving only a few inches between one another.

“Say anything about my nails and I will make you leave,” Andrew said immediately when he saw Kevin open his mouth. Kevin closed his mouth. “We’re going on a date on Saturday night. I’ll pick you up at six.”

“Are we going to another party?”

“Maybe if you behave,” Andrew said and Kevin rolled his eyes. “I figured we’d go on a proper date this time.”

“Taking me to the movies and dinner?” Kevin grinned and Andrew pinched his cheek. “Ow.”

“Don’t get snarky with me.”

Kevin’s grin didn’t fade and his fingers brushed against Andrew’s back. “Can I kiss you again?”

“Yes.”

And he did.


End file.
